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The Continent @thecontinent.org · 6d
All Protocol Observed

Welcome to Issue 224 of The Continent

We celebrate people whose purpose and passion shine through a tumultuous 2025, embodying Khalil Gibran’s words that “work is love made visible.” Meet our Africans of the Year: bit.ly/224_TC
This is the cover of issue 224 of The Continent. It is illustrated by Nzilani Simu. The background is a deep purple with subtle patterns. On the cover is a collage of portraits of the Africans of the Year as selected by the team at The Continent.
Reposted by The Continent
gijn.org
What happens when journalists investigate their own communities or colleagues?

At #AIJC25, @thecontinent.org's @simonallison.bsky.social and Christine Mungai discussed the emotional and ethical challenges of reporting stories that are deeply personal.
gijn.org
‘Too Close to Home’: Handling the Challenges of Investigations with a Personal Connection
twp.ai
December 19, 2025 at 7:30 AM
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sonmarozvapi.bsky.social
@thecontinent.org
December 16, 2025 at 7:06 PM
thecontinent.org
The year in music, as selected by DJ Darlyne Komukama, a curator of the Nyege Nyege Festival.
The year in music
As selected by DJ Darlyne Komukama, a curator of the Nyege Nyege Festival.
continent.substack.com
December 15, 2025 at 8:17 AM
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guntwill.bsky.social
@thecontinent.org on the killing of protesters in #Tanzania "There used to be a real brake on behaviour like this – leaders knew that certain lines, if crossed, would
trigger aid cuts or diplomatic isolation. Now, ..., that restraint has vanished. What we saw ... is ... the product of that vacuum."
thecontinent.org The Continent @thecontinent.org · 6d
The year in news: Matters escalated and escalated, and we tried our hardest to breathe through the smoke of everything burning around us.
The Year in News
Matters escalated and escalated, and we tried our hardest to breathe through the smoke of everything burning around us.
continent.substack.com
December 13, 2025 at 2:13 PM
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romatowski.bsky.social
Ooh year-end movie roundup from @thecontinent.org
The year in movies
As chosen by Wilfred Okiche, The Continent’s film critic.
substack.com
December 14, 2025 at 8:20 AM
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hararereview.bsky.social
It’s the end of the year, so @thecontinent.org’s Africans of the year edition for 2025 is here! 🎉

So many great Africans.
The cover of The Continent’s Africans of the Year edition, with illustrations of African newsmakers. Illustrations by Nzilani Simu.
December 14, 2025 at 3:15 AM
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hararereview.bsky.social
That also means.... I got to pick my top 5 African reads of the year 👏🏾

Books from Goretti Kyomuhendo, @willthisbeaproblem.bsky.social, @wordsweaver.bsky.social, @hofrench.bsky.social, and Oyinkan Braithwaite are on the list!
Text from screenshot reads: The Continent 13 DECEMBER 2025 | ISSUE 224 THE YEAR IN BOOKS As chosen by Jacqueline Nyathi, founder of Harare Review of Books and The Continent's book reviewer. 5. Promises by Goretti Kyomuhendo The dream of a settled middle-class life through the power of the almighty pound drives young people in former British colonies to the United Kingdom. The couple in this story may be fictitious, but their trajectory - from hope to despair, and then picking up the pieces again - is all too real. 4. Will This Be A Problem? The Anthology: Issue V, edited by Olivia Kidula and Somto Ihezue This spectacular collection features speculative fiction from Kenya, Sierra Leone, Nigeria, South Africa, Lesotho, Malawi and Zimbabwe. In it you'll find shifty markets, njuzu, tech, cosmic battles, alt-history, anti-capitalist rebellion and maybe even the reason why donkeys have 44 teeth. 3 Everything is Fine Here by Iryn Tushabe Another book about African lives, which are so often a dance between the rural and urban. This great novel shows both these aspects. It's a heartwarming coming-of-age story of two Ugandan sisters, with themes exploring queerness and the tensions of family - whether that's one's family of origin, or chosen family. 2 The Second Emancipation by Howard W French French's biography of Kwame Nkrumah evaluates the impact of Ghana's first post-independence leader on Africa and the world and his claim to pan-Africanism. It demonstrates links from Africa to the diaspora and illuminates how events on the continent shaped and were shaped by world affairs. Keep reading us next year for a more substantive review. 1 Cursed Daughters by Oyinkan Braithwaite A late-year surprise, Braithwaite's wonderful tale of generations of women getting into trouble with men is a balance of the lighthearted and the serious. It's a well-executed exploration of desire, love, loss, desperation, and the apparent power of self-fulfilling prophecies. A glorious work.
December 14, 2025 at 3:19 AM
thecontinent.org
The year in movies, as chosen by Wilfred Okiche, The Continent’s film critic.
The year in movies
As chosen by Wilfred Okiche, The Continent’s film critic.
continent.substack.com
December 14, 2025 at 8:50 AM
thecontinent.org
The year in news: Matters escalated and escalated, and we tried our hardest to breathe through the smoke of everything burning around us.
The Year in News
Matters escalated and escalated, and we tried our hardest to breathe through the smoke of everything burning around us.
continent.substack.com
December 13, 2025 at 9:02 AM
thecontinent.org
All Protocol Observed

Welcome to Issue 224 of The Continent

We celebrate people whose purpose and passion shine through a tumultuous 2025, embodying Khalil Gibran’s words that “work is love made visible.” Meet our Africans of the Year: bit.ly/224_TC
This is the cover of issue 224 of The Continent. It is illustrated by Nzilani Simu. The background is a deep purple with subtle patterns. On the cover is a collage of portraits of the Africans of the Year as selected by the team at The Continent.
December 12, 2025 at 9:11 PM
thecontinent.org
Bigger fish to fry: A porter carries fish from a beachside market in Mogadishu. Somalia’s capital is bootstrapping itself out of the ashes after decades of war, terrorism and disjointed cycles of US military deployment and withdrawal.

Photo: Tony Karumba/AFP
A fish porter carries fish from an open-air beachside market where local fishermen land their catch at dawn in Mogadishu. Mogadishu is rising, literally, from the ashes of decades of war. Pavements remain scarred by bullet holes and ruined buildings still line many streets, but the city's cacophony is now one of construction, not destruction. The east African nation saw civil war in the 1990s mutate into an Islamist insurgency in the 2000s that still threatens much of the country. Almost 70 percent of Somalia's population is defined as "multidimensionally poor" by the United Nations -- tracking education, health, living standards, services and inclusion. But for the first time in decades, the three million inhabitants of capital Mogadishu -- relatively well-protected from the conflict still raging just a couple of hours outside the city -- are witnessing a building boom. (Photo by Tony KARUMBA / AFP)
December 12, 2025 at 10:45 AM
thecontinent.org
Photo essay: It often feels like everyone's out for themselves – but in Shao, Nigeria, matrimonial rites unite more than just the newly wed.
Slow love in a cut-throat world
It often feels like everyone's out for themselves – but in Shao, matrimonial rites unite more than just the newly wed.
continent.substack.com
December 11, 2025 at 1:30 PM
thecontinent.org
In Nairobi, on the last Saturday of the month, three dozen people hand over their phones. It’s the first rule of the Serenity Social Club’s Disconnect event – a day of no screens or digital notifications. In their place are yoga, pottery, crocheting, conversations with strangers – or even just naps.
Airplane mode for scattered souls
The Serenity Social Club has nailed the blueprint for connecting by disconnecting in a bespoke little world free from WiFi.
continent.substack.com
December 11, 2025 at 9:46 AM
thecontinent.org
South Africa beat India 2–0 in an away Test series for the first time in 25 years — a landmark win at Eden Gardens and a crowning moment for captain Temba Bavuma, who’s long had to silence critics and racists questioning his place at the top.
Straight outta Langa
South Africa’s cricket captain Temba Bavuma is constantly asked to prove himself. And he has – over and over again.
continent.substack.com
December 10, 2025 at 8:36 AM
thecontinent.org
Kenya’s appeal court has paused a defamation case against the BBC over its 2015 Secret Bribes of Big Tobacco exposé, a move that could reshape how Kenyans obtain evidence from abroad. The suit was filed by National Assembly speaker Moses Wetang’ula.
Legal ruling buys BBC time to find its smoking gun
The landmark court order sets a precedent for how Kenyan cases proceed when vital evidence lies abroad.
continent.substack.com
December 9, 2025 at 8:14 AM
thecontinent.org
Malawi sent 80 armed police to search ex-president Lazarus Chakwera’s home for four missing German Shepherds — legally classified as police officers — but were denied entry. A court says the dogs may be in his “illegal possession”.
Chakwera in dog house for clinging to bow-wower
Ex-president suspected of dognapping K9 ‘officers’.
continent.substack.com
December 8, 2025 at 8:22 AM
thecontinent.org
At the African Union-European Union summit in Luanda last week, Kenyan President William Ruto urged his peers to shun charity, but also proposed increasing the continent’s Peace Fund to $1-billion. It currently sits at about $610-million.
Give peace a billion
Kenya’s president wants more money – for multinational security interventions – but not from the usual donors.
continent.substack.com
December 7, 2025 at 9:44 AM
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mattduplessis.bsky.social
This cover by @wynonamutisi.bsky.social.
Cozy edition this week. Get it while it's chill.
thecontinent.org The Continent @thecontinent.org · 14d
All Protocol Observed

Welcome to Issue 223 of The Continent

In this dumpster fire of a year, we’re still finding what’s worth saving — sport, art, community, and joy across Africa.

Read it here: bit.ly/223_TC
This is the cover of The Continent, dated 6 December 2025, illustrated by Wynona Mutisi. In the foreground, we see the back of a woman sitting comfortably on a couch. Her hair is styled in two neat braids. Draped over her lap is a mustard-yellow blanket, and she is quietly knitting a pastel-coloured garment. Several balls of yarn in pale shades of blue, lilac, and cream — rest on the coffee table in front of her. The coffee table is wide and wooden, and on it sits a teapot, a cup of tea, a plate with two biscuits, and an open book. The headline reads: “Crafting beauty and calm in a year of chaos.”
December 5, 2025 at 8:41 PM
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afrobarometer.bsky.social
Zimbabwe is the most recent African country to abolish the death penalty, bringing the total to 24 - for now.

Ahead of #HumanRightsDay, we explore how many citizens across 37 countries say capital punishment is never justified.

See our latest in @thecontinent.org for more.

#VoicesAfrica
December 6, 2025 at 8:00 AM
thecontinent.org
Before all that fame and history-making, Danai Gurira was a high schooler in Harare, acting in the local theatre scene. Her return to those roots may well be her most impactful production.
Danai Gurira’s Zim baby comes of age
Before all that fame and history-making, Danai Gurira was a high schooler in Harare, acting in the local theatre scene. Her return to those roots may well be her most impactful production.
continent.substack.com
December 6, 2025 at 8:34 AM
thecontinent.org
All Protocol Observed

Welcome to Issue 223 of The Continent

In this dumpster fire of a year, we’re still finding what’s worth saving — sport, art, community, and joy across Africa.

Read it here: bit.ly/223_TC
This is the cover of The Continent, dated 6 December 2025, illustrated by Wynona Mutisi. In the foreground, we see the back of a woman sitting comfortably on a couch. Her hair is styled in two neat braids. Draped over her lap is a mustard-yellow blanket, and she is quietly knitting a pastel-coloured garment. Several balls of yarn in pale shades of blue, lilac, and cream — rest on the coffee table in front of her. The coffee table is wide and wooden, and on it sits a teapot, a cup of tea, a plate with two biscuits, and an open book. The headline reads: “Crafting beauty and calm in a year of chaos.”
December 5, 2025 at 7:35 PM
thecontinent.org
Fuji is the album Adekunle Gold has been building his entire career. In this case, “fuji” works as a double entendre. Gold says it’s an acronym for “finding uncharted journeys inside” (don’t ask), but what he really wants to embody is the popular genre of Yoruba music that evolved in the 60s.
Review: Striking gold
Adekunle Gold’s latest melds genres as only a creative shapeshifter of his calibre can.
continent.substack.com
December 5, 2025 at 12:09 PM
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hararereview.bsky.social
Recently for @thecontinent.org : On Oyinkan Braithwaite's excellent Cursed Daughters.

Download this issue (221) here: www.thecontinent.org/_files/ugd/2...

💙📚
A screenshot from The Continent. Text reads: Womanhood, in all its glory and shade A spectacular novel of grandmothers, mothers, and daughters - and the legacies they bequeath. A WOMAN sees a man when he comes to her village and she has to have him - so she does. Her father belatedly protects her virtue (or colludes with her) by forcing the man to marry her. Unfortunately, the man is already married and his wife puts a blood curse on the woman - and all her future female descendants. Generations later, does the curse still hold? The characters in Oyinkan Braithwaite's Cursed Daughters are vividly drawn, bold women. They are sometimes stubborn and wrongheaded (is that the curse again, or just how they are?), but relatable in their longing for love. These women are confused, unwise, bereaved, and passionate. Mostly, they're just doing their best. If they sometimes turn to the spiritual world in desperation (most of the novel's dark humour comes through the seemingly unhinged mamalawo), it's because events in their lives are sufficiently spooky. Where else can a mere human turn? If this all sounds like some light fun, there's more to it. There's a dark thread running through the novel, as one character takes her own life. Braithwaite plumbs the depths of this character's thoughts during her depressive episodes in a way that feels very real. Reading these passages requires care: please be warned if you struggle with your own mental health. Braithwaite's debut novel, My Sister, the Serial Killer, was impressive. The writing was eloquent and her work original, but in the end I found the story just... good enough. Cursed Daughters, however, is glorious - a contender for my African novel of the year.
December 5, 2025 at 12:33 AM
thecontinent.org
Lifeline: A sponge farmer in Zanzibar tends to her crops near Jambiani. Each day women enter the tide to tend their allotments after climate change and overfishing upended their former work at sea.

Photo: Marco Longari/AFP
A sponge farmer from Zanzibar's Sponge Farmers' Cooperative, a women-led organization, tends to her crops at a farm off the coast of Jambiani on October 25, 2025. Each day, women wade through the shallow tides off Zanzibar's Jambiani village to tend their coral sponge farms -- a new lifeline after climate change upended their former work at sea. Rising ocean temperatures, overfishing and pollution have steadily degraded marine ecosystems, eroding the main source of livelihood for many on the island, where 26 percent of its 1.9 million people live below the poverty line. From the shore, black sticks jut out of the turquoise Indian Ocean, but as you move closer, rows of hanging lines attached to them come into view -- each strung with coral sponges and marked by farmers who identify their plots by columns. (Photo by MARCO LONGARI / AFP)
December 4, 2025 at 5:50 PM
thecontinent.org
Days after we published her essay about reporting from Gaza amid Israeli attacks on journalists, a Palestinian reporter was injured by an explosive dropped from an Israeli drone as she walked with her family. Seven weeks into the Gaza ‘ceasefire’, Ansam Al-Kitaa writes for us again.
Wounds in my body, scars in my heart
Days after we published her essay about reporting from Gaza amid Israeli attacks on journalists, a Palestinian reporter was injured by an explosive dropped from an Israeli drone
continent.substack.com
December 3, 2025 at 8:07 AM